NB Rock 'n' Roll

A bus ride ...

2012-02-20T22:03:00.001Z

... from Maesbury Marsh to Oswestry ...

The Borderland Farmer by Ivor Roberts-Jones born in Oswestry in 1913

Llywd Mansion was built for John Llwyd (Lloyd) of Llanforda in 1604 and restored in 1875.

The coat of arms belongs to the Emperor of Austria who allowed one of the family to use after distinguishing himself during the crusades.

This Footfalls Project is opposite Wilkinsons shop ...

it was painted by Anna Roberts

in October 2011 and I think it's fantastic!

Oswestry Guildhall built in 1893 in the style of a Loire Valley chateau is the home of the Town Council and the Attfield Theatre

We found that Oswestry is a fairly typical old market town similar to Ellesmere, Natnwich, Whitchurch, etc; it has a plethora of small individual shops, lots of charity shops and three superstores.

Maesbury Marsh where Wat's Dyke meets the Monty!

2012-02-19T18:48:00.001Z

It rained heavily during the night but we woke up ...

... to a thin layer of snow ...

... all around us ...

... at our mooring.

We had thought that we'd have Sunday lunch at the Queen's Head Hotel but we'd been ringing them yesterday and this morning and they appear to never answer their telephone - it's a matter of love me love my dog, so we need to know if we can take Molly with us - their loss ...

... George rang the Navigation Inn at Maesbury Marsh and they welcome dogs in the bar area - good enough for us - so off we set.

Aston Top Lock - it was below here that George met Bonnie and Clyde (the aggressive geese who think they own the place!)

The Shropshire Union Fly-Boat Saturn is moored below the lock ...

... with Bonnie and Clyde ... they saw me coming ...

... got into the water and tried to shoo me away but I wasn't having any of that!

Then they spied George coming ... much easier prey!

... seconds after I took this they were pecking at his boots ...

... and trouser legs; one of them reached right up and George whacked it away with his ~~windlass~~ arm ...

... they didn't like that at all! ...

... and turned their attention back to Rock n Roll!

Leaving Aston middle lock ...

... and the view from Aston bottom lock ...

... swans at rest there in the reeds.

More snow on higher ground ...

... and more wonderful ...

... views ...

... as we approach the very slender bridge 77.

I wonder if BW/C&RT will remove the weeds before the summer onslaught?

Bridge 77 is behind those reeds somewhere ...

... needs a bit of manoeuvring ...

... to gain access!

Lots of twists and turns too ...

... as we approach Maesbury Marsh ...

... with signs of past industry ...

... including the Navigation which in the days of the working canal would have been a warehouse for all sorts of supplies.

Reminds us that we're once again in Wales

After a very leisurely Sunday lunch at the Navigation - thanks to Adam for the recommendation - it certainly didn't let us down - lovely place, great good, loves dogs - all that we needed today.

After lunch we took a short walk down the Monty towards Crofts Mill Lift Bridge

The junction - straight ahead is the mainline to Newtown (under restoration in many areas) and to the right ...

... the short private Mill Arm ...

Canal Centre ... internet cafe, shop, B&B and information centre - maybe breakfast there in the morning!

The towpath became too muddy so we turned round and headed back, past the restored wharf now used as a sanitary station for the boats and the 15cwt crane with is thought to be the only surviving example of its kind.

And there's Rock n Roll moored through the bridge.

Quarter past Six and the sky is amazing ...

... and the temperature is minus 0.7 already - forecast tonight is below minus 4 - brrrrrr!

Trials and tribulations ...

2012-02-18T20:31:00.000Z

After crossing over to the water point and filling the tank, George set off to set the Graham Palmer Lock and I took the helm for all for all of 30 seconds! It sounded as if there was something metal wrapped around the propellor! I sounded the horn and George returned to the boat.

He removed the deck and lifted the weed hatch after stripping off at least 3 layers of warm clothing in a very chilly wind ... someone had lost their umbrella in a strong wind and it had ended up round our prop!

If you're squeamish, don't look at the picture below!

Whilst George was head first down the weed hatch I watched a farmer check his mole traps in the neighbouring field; he took this dead mole out and hung it on the fence. When I asked him why he did that he said it was as a warning for other moles!!!

Although it was wonderfully clear when we set off at half past two there were dark clouds ahead!

But looking back was fine!

The first spring lambs I've seen this year

You can see for miles and miles along here

This adolescent swan had been dodging our bow for a while, spitting at the boat, after a while he'd had enough and crossed the bow to climb out onto the towpath, he then proceeded to run past us flapping his wings and still spitting feathers!

Leaving Perry Aqueduct behind us ...

Those dark clouds still threaten as we approach Rednal Basin ...

... it used to be a swing bridge giving access to the basin beyond, but it certainly won't be swinging again and the basin is very overgrown.

It's still a lovely view behind us though ...

... as we negotiate the sharp bends.

The sun's rays bouncing off the rail bridge ...

... and the view from under the narrow Heath House turnover bridge (takes the towpath from one side of the canal to the other)

Especially in today's light the scenery around the Montgomery is stupendous

into the sun!

There are quite a few small woods and copses along the canal too

Corbett's Bridge 75 ...

... and dead straight ahead ...

... towards bridge 76 and the Queen's Head Hotel on the right

For the moment we've tied up against this building and George has walked ahead to see if there is anywhere better where we may get decent TV and internet signals.

Up at street level are what were probably once canal warehouses

The Queen's Head Hotel

To conserve water and the bank sides on the Montgomery the speed limit is 3mph; the posts on the right are markers to check your speed - it takes 10 seconds to pass each post at 3mph and 15 seconds at 2 miles per hour.

George returned from his recce re mooring elsewhere and I could see that he was not happy, he walked straight past the boat and I could see mud on his jacket and his jeans ... what has happened?

Over to him ...

On my way to recce, I came across two geese swimming peacefully on the water; as I walked past they climbed out of the water and ran towards me with their heads low, hissing and spitting. I turned around as they were pecking my calves and fell over backwards.....into a puddle! I fought gallantly to keep them at bay, bearing in mind I was now at their level, and on they came tugging at my trouser legs as I clambered back up. I rose to my full intimidating height and shouted at them and on they came drunk with success, pecking at my knees.....I lost patience and yelled at them, rushing forward, pushing them towards the water, they backed off and retreated (they knew when they were beaten). I limped back to the boat telling them I would be back tomorrow and they had better not be there....we shall see!

(me again now) ... And after all that he decided that we should just move back one boat length and all will be fine ... and it is! We've got internet and satellite TV...

and a washing machine full of muddy clothes!

Decision made ...

2012-02-18T13:37:00.003Z

... for various reasons (post, fuel, water) both Moore 2 Life and Seyella have decided not to 'do' the Montgomery Canal; they've both done it before and originally we decided that we would stick with the convoy and give it a miss, and then we changed our minds, it would be a pity to be here and not go down as we'd not done it before. So here we go ...

10 past 10 and we're away from the very pleasant moorings below New Marton Lock and although it's cloudy it's quite warm with hardly any breeze - perfect! ...

... and passing the disused railway bridge 10W ...

... and the very low Paddock No 2 Bridge which is signed 9W! ...

... it's low because as you can see, the old wooden beams are still in place.

So, Mr Badger lives here then!

Very peaceful rural scenes with what I think is Welsh Frankton Church in the distance

Bridge 1W where we turn right onto what was originally the mainline of the Llangollen canal ...

... we can moor over there in front of that boat. We have booked the descent of Frankton Locks for tomorrow (Saturday) as according to our Nicholson's Guide the locks were open Mon-Fri 9:30-10:30 and we didn't think we would be here in time, but the times shown must be for the summer. We'd only waited 5 minutes when the lock-keeper arrived and said that we could go down today.

Frankton Locks ...

The locks consist of a staircase of two (where the top gate of the bottom lock is also the bottom gate of the top lock without a 'pound' (stretch of water) in-between) and two single locks ...

... the second (bottom) lock is very deep ...

The bottom gates have been left open. Contractors are doing maintenance to the culverts and the lock keeper is having to stop any 'rush' of water from the by-washes/over-flows as this will damage the work being done. George (hubby) is helping so that the lock keeper can keep going below to ensure that the water level is just sufficient to allow boats passage.

My turn now ... the top lock was empty so it's now being slowly filled ...

... the lock keeper returned to the paddles at the top which open the sluices in the gates twice during my descent to let more water slowly through to ensure that there was enough water for me to pass over the cill to exit the lock ...

... the lock keeper (in blue) is checking that the water level in the top lock is equal to that in the lower lock ...

... and that there is just enough water in the pound (water between two locks), too much water in here may damage the culvert below...

... the lock keeper is now happy for me to exit the top staircase lock and enter the lower lock ...

... emptying the bottom lock, the water is gushing out, you can see on the wall immediately below the lock gates that the water level is very low, so hopefully this lock-full will bring the level up enough to give me safe passage ...

... and I start to exit the lock ...

... unfortunately Rock n Roll has a fairly deep draught (about 28/29 inches), and I ran aground on the bend of the picture above, the lock keeper went back to the top of the staircase and slowly opened some of the sluices just enough to let down enough water to get me off the bottom! All's well that ends well and I proceed into the first of the single locks ...

... as the lock keeper is still watching the water level in the bottom staircase lock before he closes the sluices again.

Looking back from the first of the single locks, the photo clearly shows how low the level of water is in the middle pound between me and the staircase locks.

The lock keeper checks how much, if any, water is overflowing into the culvert channel - it looks dry to me ...

... he then returns to the to the top to the hire boat waiting to come down, I hope they manage it without too much difficulty.

Looking back from below Frankton locks, one of the repaired culverts is fenced off, I hope that we've not done any damage to it today.

We're now at the water point and service area of the derelict Western Arm which was intended to reach Shrewsbury but never got that far ...

... and here comes hire boat 'In Our Own Time' very soon after.

The end of the Weston Arm with RnR now moored on the right

Whilst George did a couple of jobs in the engine bay Molly and I went for a walk along the towpath to the Graham Palmer Lock ...

... here too the overflow on the left of the picture is also dry

Although it's only been about 45 minutes since the hire boat went down this lock it's clear to see that the top gates (left) must leak quite badly because the lock chamber is nearly full again.

It's been a while since I've taken a picture of snowdrops growing in the wild!

The electricty pylons round here sizzle; you can hear them from a distance

but the current end of navigation is just 6 miles away near Maesbury Marsh

Looking across the canal round the bend I can just make out Rock n Roll in the distance

... another dollop ... I just can't resist these pretty flowers!

This Shropshire walk is well signposted ....

... over this stile ...

... and across the field to this stile but it doesn't look very well used, the farmer has planted it all ...

.... now on my way back to Rock n Roll hoping that George is now finished with the engine

... we pass British Waterways working boat Bala as we walk to the small bridge to reach the other side of the canal

5 minutes to 5 and the sun starts to go down ...

... and 20 to 6 ...

... a beautiful sunset!
It was very wet and very windy this morning but the forecast said that it would brightened up later. It's now 1:30 and the sun is shining so it's time to stop blogging and get a move on!

All gone!

2012-02-15T16:55:00.001Z

Apart from passing hire boats - 3 out of 4 creating far too much wash ...

... the canal in front and behind us is empty now.

Seyella, Moore 2 Life and Jandai have left this morning. Chas (M2L) is concerned about lack of fuel and has set off hot footed to Prees Branch, Geoff (Seyella) was going as far as the Monty today to see what's what there and Jan and Dai on Jandai mentioned yesterday that they were off to Ellesmere. We've not quite decided what to do yet ... shall we or shan't we do the Monty?

The sun over the field opposite at 20 past 4 ... beautiful!

The return journey ...

2012-02-13T17:51:00.000Z

Not many photographs today, things look pretty much the same as they did just two weeks ago when we arrived below New Marton Locks ...

... although then the sun was shining!

Our plan is to stay here for a couple of days and then onto the Montgomery!

Reunions and goodbyes ....

2012-02-12T08:59:00.002Z

Last night the family was getting together over dinner at a local hostelry to say Bon Voyage to my brother Garry, his wife Sue and younger sons Ryan and Kye who will emigrate to Australia early in March

... but first we meet up with our own kids, and grand kids too!

Our kids, Mark and Sharon ...

... still messing about!

Our grand kids ... Sisters .. Joanne and Louise ...

... and the baby sister ... growing up beautifully ... Alice

Cousins ... Ed and Adam ...

... and Lucy and Joanne

Mark and wife Ange waiting for dinner

All family!

34 members of my side of the family came to say Bon Voyage ...

... to Garry, his wife Sue, Kye looking at the camera and Ryan with his back to us and Garry's youngest grandson Izac.

They will be missed by all the family of course but with todays so convenient and varied ways to communicate staying in touch should not be a problem at all.

We wish them all well.

Best neighbours ever!

2012-02-11T09:17:00.001Z

We'd rung Chirk Marina about half an hour before arriving on Thursday afternoon to arrange a fuel fill-up and a toilet tank emptying; we'd checked that we could access the marina ok (ice) and were told it was alright. When we got there and turned in (breaking the ice in the entrance) a man appeared and said 'I don't think so!" (When Ann and Charles arranged the same thing 10 days or so ago, the marina staff broke up the ice before they arrived.) Anyway we reversed out, winded and moored up opposite, we were picking up visitors at Trevor before lunch tomorrow so would be heading back the way we'd just come.

Nearly 10am yesterday morning and the marina staff started breaking the ice; we were just about ready to cast off when they called to us that we'd be able to pull in for services in about 5 minutes. 'Sorry' I said ' it's too late, we'll call in on the way back in a couple of hours'

Through the cratch window onto Pontcysllte Aqueduct in the drizzle.

Our friends, ex-neighbours Bill and Margaret had just arrived at Trevor Basin as we winded once again ready to head back over the aqueduct. We lived next door to each other for about 18 years in Fairbourne; Bill and Marg were the best neighbours anyone could ever wish for.

Bill is a carpenter and built our kitchen all those years ago, and today ...

... he brought me this beautiful, tactile, wooden pot which he had crafted ...

... it's made from 300 year old Yew with Cherry inlay.

The Yew came from Arthog Hall which is a couple of miles from where we lived and had a conservation order on it, but it was growing too near the hall and had to be cut down (with permission of course), about 15 years ago; Bill was doing some carpentry work for the owner and took the tree as payment.

The inlay goes all the way through the piece ... it really is a delight both to look at and handle.

Thank you so much, both of you.

We cruised over Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, through Whitehouse and Chirk Tunnels, winded (turned) and cruised back again. It was about 4pm when we arrived back at Froncysyllte and Bill and Margaret walked back over the aqueduct whilst we winded once again to head back to catch up with the convoy.

Half past 5 as we cross Chirk Aqueduct in the rain with a quickly darkening sky and it was nearly 6pm when we arrived at Gledrid Bridge where Geoff and Ann were waiting for us and helped to tie our ropes in record time. We were cold and wet and glad to be still; the last half hour travelling with the headlight on was not easy but yet another 'first' boating experience.

All in all it's been another fantastic day and tomorrow we're off to a party!

Leaving Llangollen ...

2012-02-09T20:03:00.000Z

Collectively we'd decided that we'll be 'canny' and follow today's trip boat, that will save us walking in front to ensure we don't meet boats coming the other way!

It was dull and drizzly when we reversed out of the visitor mooring basin leaving Geoff ,he will be tail-end Charlie again today as he's stopping to pick up a delivery of coal at the wharf.

That's the trip boat on the wharf, it's off over the aqueduct to Froncysyllte and due to move off any moment now ...

... here comes Seyella now and we're still waiting for the tripper to move off!

Moored boats and a lift bridge ...

... and the weather is deteriorating quickly ...

Ann and Chas stopped off at the services but have caught us up, and now it really is raining ...

... Moore 2 Life following us over Pontcysllte

This is the first we've seen of the trip boat since it disappeared round the first bend when it set off. It's now winded (turned) and ...

... picked up two more trip boats ...

... and passing Moore 2 Life who've pulled in for water.

It really is raining hard now as we near tonight's mooring where contractors are improving the towpath opposite Chirk Marina. Fortunately the stretch where we've moored has not yet been turned into a quagmire.

We were pleased to stop, put in the pins and put the kettle on, although it'll take some time for the raincoats to dry off ... I really don't like travelling in the rain ... fair-weather boater then some will say ... and I say ... yes if at all possible!

Up the mountain ...

2012-02-09T18:59:00.002Z

... well it felt like it didn't it Ann?

Our destination ... apparently just .5 mile from the canal ... probably as the crow flies!

... but what views we saw ...

Ann and George taking it slowly

... or Crow Castle as the English apparently say!

The board gives information on what you may see on the way and the various ways you can approach the castle

You can see for miles and miles and miles

Up one hill and down again, then up the next one

Ann and I will take the zig-zag route, George and Geoff take the more direct route

Slate hills ...

A very imposing house down in the valley - I'm sure that someone will be able to tell me what it is!

I think we're halfway there ...

... you can certainly see which way the prevalent wind blows!

Telford's Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Williamson's Viaduct

Me taking photo's of ...

... them taking photo's of us!

wow

Trevor far below

The working life of Dinas Bran was just 17 years before it was burned and abandoned in 1277

The remaining ...

... walls are ...

... are amazing!

On our way back down now ... looks cosy down there

I'm really not sure what this bird is!

Ann and I took the easy way down, George and Geoff took the ~~wrong~~ long way!
A glorious afternoon albeit very cold but well worth the effort!

A walk to Horseshoe Falls

2012-02-08T19:50:00.000Z

The basin in which we're moored is the end of the navigable Llangollen Canal so yesterday afternoon we set off to walk the towpath past the end of the canal and onto Horseshoe Falls ...

... past pretty cottages ...

... energetic, enthusiastic canoeists ...

... a row of terraced cottages with the river to the front and the canal at the rear ...

... rowers battling with ...

... the rapids.

The Chain Bridge where the Monks from Valle Crusis Abbey would have crossed the River Dee.

It has been rebuilt twice using the original chains making them the oldest suspension chains in use worldwide. Denbighshire Council is hoping to restore it yet again.

The end of Llangollen Canal

Rules and regulations .... I wish some of them were still enforceable!

Horseshoe Falls designed and constructed by Thomas Telford in 1808 to enable water from the River Dee to feed the Llangollen canal

The river comes into the falls from the right

an interesting wood pile

a cheeky wagtail

Castell Dinas Bran in the mist ... our destination for tomorrow's walk ...

... and home again.

The Church of Saint Collen ...

2012-02-08T18:18:00.000Z

... St Collen gives its name to the town ...

... The Parish Church of Llangollen has ...

... the most exquisite carved oak ceiling built in 1450 under the guidance of the Abbot of
Valle Crusis Abbey.

This painting portrays the church before it was extended in 1863

The church in the 'picture' above would have been only as long as the ornate roof ...

... wonderful carving ...

... looking towards the back of the church

An angel and a devil perhaps

... this aisle was part of the original church ...

...with the same beautifully carved roof ...

Through the choir to the alter and impressive stained glass window ...

... carvings create a backdrop to the alter too

The very decorative font

Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby ' the two most celebrated virgins in Europe whose visitors at their home Plas Newydd included Elizabeth Browning, Tennyson, Walter Scott and Wordsworth are buried in the churchyard.

The Police get involved ...

2012-02-08T14:19:00.002Z

Monday 6th February ... still at Trevor Basin

Due to the fact that a knife was involved, we decided that we should inform the police of last night's incident and telephoned 101 (national number for the police in a non-emergency).

Within 5 minutes of reporting the event and receiving a crime number we were putting on our coats ready to set off when I glanced through the window and saw a policeman coming towards the boat, too much of a coincidence to think that he wasn't coming to speak to us.

The Anglo Welsh Hire Boat Company had called him directly and reported that 5 of their boats had had ropes cut last night too.

We repeated the information to him and although he had some 'thoughts' on possible culprits it would be very difficult to prove unless they confessed to doing it or the wharf cctv pictures were good enough to identify them, but he would call on a few parents for a 'chat' and contact us sometime next week with any news.

We were expecting friends to meet up with us today and join us in a trip over the aqueduct, but I rang to say that we had better cancel as we'd decided that there was no way that we would stay here for another night. Sorry Chris.

No sooner than we were ready to move the hire boat company started to move their boats around to take one out of the dock and put another one in ready for the winter maintenance checks and services, so as you can see no-one can move anywhere!

About an hour later we had lift-off! Here's Ann and Chas coming through now with Geoff behind still under the bridge ...

.. sharp right turn ...

... and under the bridge (31)

... Seyella now fills the space and will wait until we've gone through the bridge ...

... and here he is behind us ...

... and Moore 2 Life in front ...

... on our way through the twists ...

... and turns ...

... to Llangollen.

Chas had problems at this bridge 'ole when he got stuck on the side but a bit of pushing and shoving from Ann soon sorted things out!

Approaching the rather impressive Bryn Howel Hotel ...

... and the weather is closing in on us, it's drizzling on and off as Ann and I step onto the towpath to walk the rest of the way. There are two 'narrows' in this stretch, one of which has no passing places ...

... so as in this case I notified RnR by phone whilst Ann ran back to the bridge to inform M2L that there was a boat coming the other way ... fortunately this was before we reached the first of those narrows.

There's the first one coming up ...

... Rock n Roll and Seyella safely through the bridge ...

... past the pub Sun Trevor - not a very auspicious first view of it though with the roof here in such a state!

The BW (British Waterways) notice warns boaters to stop and check that there is nothing coming in the opposite direction before proceeding and that white posts mark the passing points.

The River Dee accompanies the canal ...

... as we approach the second of those narrows ...

... all three boats still cruising nicely, and Molly in the foreground wants to get back onboard.. any board will do ...

... Ann gives Chas a nice little package to 'save for later!'

This picture really shows how narrow it is, with sides that are very unforgiving!

The view of Llangollen from ...

... the canal service station. There's Moore 2 Life, first to arrive ready for a fill up and empty of the necessary tanks...

... and Honesty on the opposite bank.

Moore 2 Life is ready to continue, Seyella is currently taking on water and RnR berthed abreast is patiently waiting her turn...

... water tank full, off we go past this very pretty lock side dwelling ...

... above the Llangollen roof tops ...

... and the River Dee ...

... and its impressive bridge ...

... but below this castle-like folly ...

... along the embankment ...

... to Llangollen visitor mooring basin ...

... it has been taken over by canoes while it's been empty buy they now appear to be moving out as we arrive.

Taken from our mooring, the International Eisteddfod ground and hall is situated by the moorings

... and has good views too of the countryside.

A short walk down the embankment brings us to Llangollen railway station; this line used to run to Dolgellau until the mid 1960's

The River Dee weaves its way through the town ...

... and even though the water is low at the moment, the water tumbles through the bedrock or should I say bed slate?

The rather imposing 'Victorian Gothic Style Town Hall - I couldn't find any information regarding this building on the internet, I was wondering when it was built. Apparently the town market was housed on the ground floor but now there are small shops - one of them supplies fantastic pastries!

Nearly 5pm as the sun goes down and all is peaceful.

Feats of daring do, and stupidity ...

2012-02-07T14:17:00.001Z

We moored up on Saturday night ...

... at the Trevor end of Poncysyllte Aqueduct, just to the left here beyond the fence

8am Sunday morning and the ducks are clamouring for breakfast!

3:30 on our walk ... a colourful monument to local industry ...

... and that aqueduct; the pillars look so slender and even fragile compared to ...

... to the aqueduct at Chirk.

It's the River Dee that bubbles under ...

... Pontcysyllte ...

... through the impressive foundations ...

... and past that eyesore of a building .. probably a water station

I love this one against the clear sky silhouetting those walkers

Although the river does not look deep at all, it certainly rolls and bubbles around any obstacles in its way

What has Geoff discovered down there then?

Has hopes of becoming a tight-rope walker perhaps ...

... no I don't think so!

Ok, balance on the slippery stones instead ...

... a man with a purpose (I think) ...

Done it! Whatever 'it' was!

And now back again ...

tippity-toe!

And whatever Dad can do ...

Megs can do better!

4:30 and it looks like being another cold night ...

... as the sun goes down ...

... on our mooring ...

that's Ann and Chas and Geoff on the other side looking at the monument again.

George (hubby) and I settled down for a quiet evening, dinner then a bit of TV but it was not to be.

At about 8pm the picture on the tele started to break up, this happens occasionally if the boat moves about on it's mooring so I thought it would right itself as as the boat settled again. Then a few minutes later there was a bang on the boat as if another boat had hit us. George went to the front and opened the flap and came immediately back inside -

'that was the bow hitting the canal wall on the other side, someone has cut our front rope!'

It didn't take long to get the bow back over and secure it once again, but it took some time for us to calm down ... what stupid idiot does such a thing? It was a good job 'they' didn't cut both ropes as we may have then floated backwards with the flow onto the aqueduct, George would then have had a bit of shock opening the front flap to find himself in mid-air!

We alerted Moore 2 Life and Seyella of what had happened in case the culprit(s) were coming their way, it was only then it made us realise that there was someone out there in the dark with a knife!

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct ...

2012-02-04T22:22:00.000Z

We decided to stay at our mooring ...

... for another day and set off on a walk along the towpath ...

... passing the train viaduct bathed in sunshine ...

... and getting our first sighting through the trees of the 200 year old World Heritage Site Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

... I wonder if this wall is part of the town fortification?

Packet Boats out for winter maintenance have very shallow draughts (the part of the boat that is under the water)

The platform just before the lift bridge would be ideal for Mags to give her regal wave to her loyal citizens as they cruise by!

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct built by Thomas Telford in 1805 was the tallest canal boat crossing in the world at 126 feet high topped with 53 foot wide iron arches

A very well designed memorial to the ...

Chirk Castle Lime Stone Company

An interesting building in the trees across the canal in Froncysyllte but I can't find anything out about it ... any ideas?

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Thomas Telford's birth presented in 2007.

This morning (Saturday) we upped sticks and set off to cruise the aqueduct .. the weather changed suddenly as we approached the lift bridge, it started to hail, then rain and sleet, so when we stopped to fill the water tank we pulled up the pram hood (cover over the rear deck)...

... and left it up as we continued ...

These pictures were taken (in the rain) through the front cratch window and the galley window - I don't like heights and there was no way I was going up onto the back deck!

Nothing, except a picture from below, can describe the height of this trough of water as we cruise ...

... that's the edge of the trough on the left and the gunwale of Rock n Roll on the right with just a few inches between the two and the 126 foot drop over the side!

Welsh hills in the distance ...

... and the town of Trevor at the other end of the aqueduct ...

Pontcysyllte traverses the 1,007 foot gap across the Dee Valley ...

... over the River Dee ...

... so far below!

Near the Trevor end of the aqueduct we start pushing the ice in front of us ...

... the noise it made as it dragged along the iron trough was quite disconcerting!

We were going to cruise directly into the basin to rejoin the convoy (NB's Moore2Life and Seyella). Threading our way through the very narrow gap between the moored Anglo Welsh hire boats, we unfortunately forgot that the hood was up when we came to the low bridge ... the damage was not good, the spars have been bent and the canvas torn... oh bum! and even after all that we couldn't get into the basin as it was frozen solid. We reversed back through the hire boats and turned right onto the main line hoping that there would be a mooring place nearby, but no, nothing!

We were meeting up with friends and didn't want to go too far from the basin so we reversed once again and put in the pins just to the left of the picture above and we'd just had time to have lunch when they arrived!

Glesni, Gwyn, Buddug and Gwion ... we took them back over the aqueduct, turned, and brought them back again. Even with the cold rain we had a good time, it was lovely to see them again, the children have grown up into very well mannered little people with lots to say even though they were speaking in English all afternoon. A good time was had by all.

The Castle

2012-02-04T20:32:00.002Z

Thursday - Seyella and Moore2Life have gone ahead to Trevor ...

... we've stopped at the northern portal of Chirk Tunnel ...

... and are off to visit Chirk Castle, a walk of just over 1.5 miles ...

The magnificent iron gates are dated 1719 and bear the coat-of-arms of the Myddelton family. They are the work of the Davies Brothers, Robert and John of Croesfoel Forge, near Bersham, Wrexham and were erected between 1719 and 1721

The Lodge and gates from the inside of the grounds ...

... and another lodge about a mile up the road ...

... stunning views over the valley

Our first glimpse of Chirk Castle ...

... looks very interesting ...

Chirk Castle - the jagged line you can see just past the round tower is where the original building work finished, the rest of the building was finished much later

The drive up to the castle from the grounds ...

... fantastic building, still lived in today ...

Chirk Castle is 700 year old and was built in the late 13th century by Roger Mortimer, Justice of North Wales for Edward 1. The castle was sold for 5,000 UK pounds to Sir Thomas Myddelton in 1595 and his descendants continue to live in part of the castle today which ...

... commands fine views over ...

... the surrounding countryside

Clock and clock tower date back to 1609 ...

... and the opposite side of the courtyard (the right-hand side) is later in date as this part of the original building was never completed

Courtyard Well and 'window' into the lower guard room ...

... of Adam Tower C1300 original - you can see a 'space' in the top of the arch here ...

... looking up into that space and you can see a 'murder hole' used to assassinate unwelcome visitors!

The main guardroom ...

... somewhere to sleep - looks very comfy! ...

... all mod cons available ...

... and murder holes to keep away those unwanted visitors ...

The dungeon 9 meters below the courtyard
and the only tiny shaft of light that the prisoners would have seen

... just think of how many foot-falls have trodden these original winding stairs since the 13th century!...

...leading back up to the lower guardroom from where the prisoners were 'looked after'

These walls and ceilings are over 700 years old!

The workings of the tower clock on display

Sir Thomas Myddelton ...

Triple aspect ...

... adequate heating ...

... and spectacular views!

... although it's not certain what it's actual use was...

... it is named after the figure of a magistrate holding the scales and sword of justice above the hearth ..

The frieze depicts birds, bees,

... griffins, wolves heads and vines amongst them

The Servants' Hall

No noise, no strife nor swear at all, but all be decent in the hall

Once the entrance to Cromwell Hall this now houses the gift shop!

Inscription above the door to the Cromwell Hall, I can make out a few of the words but not all of them!

Same with the inscription over the door to the teashop - date 1636!

Sentry Tower on the battlements ...

... and on the outside - very ornate

On our way back to the canal now we see this ring of what was probably an ancient oak ...

... down to the lodge and those beautiful gates ...

The workmen have finished erecting the orange fence; we pull the pins and off we go ..

... we wonder if this floating ice was created by narrowboat Moore2Life as it entered Chirk Marina for fuel

Our mooring for tonight at least, we've heard that Trevor Basin has frozen over so we'll tarry here ...

... outside Chirk Marina, George hopes to meet up with a chap he used to work with who works here.

Not independent Candidates

2012-02-03T09:56:00.002Z

Alan Fincher, Sickle and Chalice,

has listed on his blog those candidates that have been accepted to stand for election for C&RT who are being 'backed' by associations (IWA, NABO etc) and are not therefore in my mind 'independent boaters'.

So, if you want to vote for a candidate who is not trying to promote the needs of just one group, you should cast your vote elsewhere.

Please check out the list

150 word statements cannot give all the information/knowledge that you may need to decide where to cast your vote so any extra information/knowledge about the candidates standing is extremely useful.

Thank you Alan.

First a recce then the real thing ...

2012-02-02T19:11:00.001Z

10am and we're off for a recce, I have volunteered to take photos of the three boats crossing Chirk Aqueduct and I'm going to see where I'll get the best shots ...

... whoops an accident up the hill, we didn't hear any sirens so assumed no-one was badly hurt.

The River Ceiriog flowing under the road bridge

Chirk aqueduct inn all her glory with a very hard frost on the grass ...

The Ceiriog flows under the aqueduct ...

... and Geoff puts those huge stantchions in perspective

The aqueduct and the viaduct

I wonder if there was ever a statue in there

Icicles hanging from under the archway ...

The road bridge and The Bridge pub as we return ...

... to the boats where they're all preparing for the day's cruise ...

... and here they are ...Seyella first ...

... then Moore2Life ...

... and Rock n Roll bringing up the rear.

Click to see a short video of the trip (not brilliant but not too bad either!)

I walked back across the field and climbed the hill back to the towpath, crossed the aqueduct on foot to where George is waiting for me ...

... and there's Ann and Chas just leaving Chirk tunnel as we enter it ...

We've moored up at the northern end of the tunnel for a couple of hours to visit Chirk Castle, then we'll move on again.

Nearly in Wales ...

2012-02-01T20:31:00.002Z

10 minutes to 8 this morning ...

... through the galley window ...

... this is a great mooring ...

RnR' is ready to go as soon as George has finished helping Geoff cut that wood, you may just be able to see Jandai mooring up in the distance

The owner of New Martin Lock Cottage was very friendly as we went up the lock ...

... and another boat is ready to come down.

Some very pretty houses round here ...

... I think that this may be Bryngwila Lodge.

I'm waiting by another nicely located house at Belmont Bridge (16) for RnR to come along ...

... across the canal there are lots of toy/miniature dogs in the field with chickens!

Here comes my ride

Narrowboat 'No Worries' ... this is the life!

Lion Quays public house with amazing pontoon moorings for it's boating visitors - exceptional!

A Canal Boat hire craft in a hurry!

The Poacher's Pocket pub

I hope BW have used Welsh slate for the canal edging - looks good!

Coooo ... Chirk Aqueduct in the distance ...

I wonder what sort of industry produces all that steam?

We've arrived at our mooring for tonight just before Monks Bridge (21) and Moore2Life has just pulled in too ...

... followed by Seyella. Lunch eaten and feet up for an hour and it's time for a walk ...

... he's got his ~~feet~~ foot up too!

What a strange tree ... and if you enlarge (click on) the picture you'll be able to see what it says on that plaque!

Next door is the old post office

reflections

Another tantalising glimpse of the aqueduct ...

15:45 and the lowering sun gilds the arches of Chirk Aqueduct ...

Very impressive isn't it?

Long shadows and golden trees ...

... and a train too!

Looking down the valley ...

... and the Afon Ceiriog below ...

... and we're in Wales at last!

Chirk Tunnel ...

... and we ventured a little way inside ... but the k9's were not impressed!

... statue?

Looking back

Interesting stuff

George RnR, Geoff Seyella, Chas and Ann Moore2Life ...

... and those shadows again ...

... and back into England!

Sky high.

Tomorrow we will cross the aqueduct and pass through the tunnel by water instead of on foot.

The temperature is going to fall like a stone tonight (-7 in towns, probably -9 here in the open) and this sort of temperature is supposed to continue until Monday when it should raise again above freezing ... so we'll have to see if we get iced in. Still it is winter after all!

The sun was warm ... for a while ...

2012-02-01T15:25:00.002Z

Chas attempted to reverse from our mooring at Ellesmere but decided that winding (turning) at the terminus would be a better idea ...

... we (RnR) have a bow thruster which we are very thankful for ...

... so reached the water point on the main line before they did! That's them in front of us ...

... and now Geoff and Mags have pulled in behind us ...

... and off we go, with Seyella in the lead today.

We could actually feel some warmth from that sunshine ...

... as we cruised through the lovely countryside ...

...There's Moore2Life just round the corner catching us up!

Canal Cottage ... very nice indeed

I've never seen so many bridges on blind bends before ... it must be pandemonium during the summer months!

Ann is taking her usual morning stroll with Molly ...

... and taking in the scenery.

Another blind bend .. but no bridge this time!

St Andrew's Church, Welsh Frankton in the distance ...

... and yes, another blind bend at Pryce Bridge

Approaching Frankton Junction ...

... and the start of the Montgomery Canal off to our left ...

... down the locks , but that's for another day.

This must be hell when the canal's busy, from this side you need to be on the wrong (left) sided to approach it straight on and of course you can't see what's coming until you (and the other boat) actually meet!

Through that bridge we come to the Navigation Inn ...

... and the very large hire fleet at Maestermyn.

Inexperienced boaters and perhaps those going too fast cause damage to both bridge and boat!

I can't get enough of views like this on days like this one!

Bridge 10W used to carry the railway line

Seyella moored just around the corner ... good because the sun has gone and it's flippin' cold!

We're moored just below New Martin Locks, it's 4:15 and time for a walk...

New Martin Lock Cottage garden will look fantastic in the spring ...

... and mistletoe on several of the trees ...

... looking back from New Martin Bridge ...

... and the other way into Wales.

2012-01-30T08:07:00.001Z

Saturday

Another glorious sunrise but with added frosting this morning!

After emptying our loo tank at the marina we cruised round the corner to the BW yard take on water ...

... there's a lot of history in these buildings!

A huge construction site on the piece of land opposite the yard, I wonder what it will be

This side of Beech House gets all the worst weather, not sure if it is still part of BW's portfolio but it's in dire need of some extensive and expensive TLC

I love this piece of sculpture

Back to the arm now past the convoy boats to the terminus to shop at Tesco

The Ellesmere town arm terminus with a thin layer of ice even at midday

The afternoon walk took us to The Mere at Ellesmere ...

... the largest natural lake in the UK outside of the Lake District ..

Tufted Ducks

Interesting information board

Geese and water birds forever hungry/greedy!

Rapunzle's Castle across the mere?

very nice!

The Boathouse Restaurant and information centre ...

... and one of the many sculptures in the area.

We're moving off tomorrow weather permitting!

C&RT already a done deal?

2012-01-29T17:16:00.002Z

BW yard Ellesmere today ...

... so if they do walk away from the table without agreeing to appropriate finance it's going to cost a fortune to put it back as it was!

Around Ellesmere

2012-01-28T20:20:00.000Z

8am this morning ...

... unbelievable!

Off for a walk ... those are the BW office buildings and maintenance yard on the mainline ...

... but we turn away from the towpath after the marina entrance ...

(click on any of the photos to enlarge and read)

Snowdrops ...

... for me the first sign of new life/new year

We can see the marina from here too

Is this the wash boiler mentioned in The Plantation notice above I wonder?

We're going down the steps and over the road but ...

... need another fix of snowdrops first!

The Mere and The Boathouse buildings

Scuplures ...

... as we climb what's known as Castle Hill

(click here for information regarding Ellesmere Motte and Bailey

Look .... there's snow on them darn hills!

Looking over the fields ... that's the mainline to the right of the house and the town arm going away from it ...

... and lots more snowdrops too

There's still ice on this small pond even after 11am ...

seating on the towpath as we return ...

... to RnR for lunch.

A walk into town now ... I wonder if these cottages with their mullioned windows were canal cottages perhaps for the engineers?

A Tudor Cottage ...

... quaint streets ...

... a mixture of architecture ...

... if only the walls could talk!

... pretty cottages ...

... huge Georgian and and huge 'Tudor' ...

... brilliant!

The Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ellesmere ...

... has fantastic stained glass windows ...

13th c. Rood Screen across the entrance to St Anne's Chapel (door 19th c.)

15th c. carved roof in St Anne's Chapel ...

... a closer look of the carved quatrefoils and roof bosses ...

... the alter and choir stalls

The Knights of St John of Jerusalem who rebuilt the church in the 14th and 15th centuries

We met the vicar in church and he explained that this (south) window was made in approx 1820 when the art of stained glass was being revived, the colours are mainly primary and rather garish ...

... the north window was made mid/late 19th c. and the colours are not so 'in your face' ...

... the east window in the chancel is later still; there are more colours and they are more muted. This window is called the golden window and depicts the Ascension of Jesus

This Norman pillar is all that remains of the norman nave built by the Knights of St John in the 13th c. when they enlarged the 12th c church.

Left is a 19th c. reproduction of the old mediaeval one and on the right is the small portable font which is generally used these days

The Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary sits high on the hill above the Mere.

Back to the wharf where the new Tesco ~~church~~ supermarket now stands ...

RnR is just on the corner, Seyella is in front of us and Moore2Life behind.

A feature has been made on the terminus of the small canal side crane and a wonderful old warehouse.

A good day's cruising ...

2012-01-28T17:10:00.000Z

Started off a bit earlier today from our mooring near bridge 50, it's only 10:15

Ready to rock n roll ... just half a mile or so to start with ...

... to collect Geoff's stash of boaters gold and load it onto his roof ...

... the canal is not very deep here and Seyella's deeper in the water with the extra load and he's having difficulty getting away from the side ...

... he backs up a little and tries again but no joy he's back on the side again. George eventually managed to push him off ...

... and Mags gives us her regal wave as they pass by ...

... boaters gold ... enough to last a week or so once it's split.

A lovely day

Lyneal Wharf with it's Trust boats

Whoops, a BW boat in the bridge 'ole ...

... but he backs off and pulls into the side ...

... they're infilling behind the pilings along this stretch ... and if I may say so doing a good job too!

The canal wends ...

... its way ...

... this way and that ...

... through Miss Each Bridge which has metal doors in the archway that would house the stop planks ...

... and past a few more logs which would have probably been the straw on the camels back if Seyella had stopped to collect them!

Cole Mere ...

... sailing boats on the far shore ...

... and wooden chalets in the woods ...

... and a project for the future perhaps!

This boat is moored near Cole Mere - Its name is Welsh and I think it means 'the two within' or something similar ... (edit) I've been informed that it means the two genies!

Colemere Country Park

No idea what this notice is about near bridge 56 Burns Wood, it does't look like a tip!

Blake Mere ... fantastic!

Approaching Ellsmere Tunnel and you have to have good eyesight to read this from the boat!

Nothing coming so we can proceed ...

Two way traffic!!! You've got to be kidding!

The flow of water from the River Dee kept pushing the bow left into the tunnel wall

Not sure if this represents Chirk Aqueduct or Pontcysyllte

Cold but sunny as we approach Ellesmere ...

Go for it ... hope you're feeling better soon Colin

Blackwater Meadow Marina ... you need to book a slot before you can enter here!

Left to continue on the main line and under the White Bridge into town

Beech House was once the Shropshire Union Canal Company's Head Office but has been split into at least 5 residences

There's Seyella taking on water as we ...

... approach the town arm ...

... passing nb Jandai and coming in onto the 72-hour visitor moorings.
The convoy is once again reunited!

A troublesome day!

2012-01-28T16:24:00.000Z

10:30 Thursday morning and we're ready to leave...

Geoff is ensuring that wife Mags will be kept warm today.

We're going down the Prees Branch to for fuel. (photos from our walk yesterday)

It's really cold and very windy as I crabbed down the canal with the wind broadside negotiating the lift bridges. Lift Bridge 1 in this picture is apparently grade II listed but it really does look like all the rest!

At Whixall Marine yesterday George had noticed that the diesel was only 87p per litre and fixed at zero tax ?? ... we were disappointed and cross when we arrived for fuel the place appeared to be shut but then we realised that it was a self-service pump, you put your credit/debit card into the machine, enter the maximum amount you want to spend, take the nozzle and fill your ~~boots~~ tank! brilliant! The marina belongs to BWML (British Waterway Marinas Limited) and because it's so quiet during the winter the shop is only open a few hours per day so there's not always an employee to hand to calculate the various taxes on fuel purchased, hence zero rated.

The terminus of the Prees Arm ... beyond this bridge is a nature reserve ...

... looking back towards the main line ...

... hungry sheep ...

... nosey too!
As I waited for George to let lift bridge 2 down after I'd gone through the wind took my bow out into the channel and my stern obviously into the bank where we had a hell of a job getting out again, but we did ...

... and continued back up the a arm; we now turn left to continue our journey and hopefully catch up with the rest of the convoy.

Back to today's pictures ...

.... new trees have been planted

... playing leap frog with NB Armadillo, they'll probably pass us again ...

St John's Church Bettisfield in the distance ...

Interesting narrowboat - I love the bow (front) of this

It's narrow and and flow on this canal restricts movement tremendously, add on the wind that was blowing ... it took a lot of effort to get through here!

The countryside is rather flat ...

... but beautiful ...

... in its own way.

We'd had a text that Geoff and Mags had called it a day near Hampton Bank Bridge and there they are 3rd boat down with just enough space for us to slip into. A cuppa with them and then ...

... and our afternoon walk ... a buzzard keeping lookout ...

... and a pretty sunset to round off the day!

Dropping in and out ...

2012-01-27T09:29:00.000Z

... the internet signal that is ... small signal then nothing; try later ... same thing ... but this morning seems ok ... let's see if I can finish this posting!

Waiting for the rest of the convoy to appear at Whitchurch Arm moorings on Wednesday morning 20 past 10 ...

... at last! 20 to 11 and they're about to push off. Ann and I with our two k9s are walking on and doing the lift bridges today ...

This is the one I did! Geoff ...

... Chas ...

... and George.

I needed to stretch my legs today and walked the 3 miles to the next lift bridge ...

Hey ... you're going without me!

Why is that other Molly riding when I've had to walk?

all alone .. except for the cars waiting!

This is it, that's my boat, hi dad!

Lots of long straight stretches on this canal ...

Moore2Life in front of us and Mags at the helm in the lead ...

Stop planks would have been stored in this space of the bridge; they are inserted across the canal in recesses under the bridge 'ole to keep back the water whilst repairs are carried out to the canal structures

Geoff has got off at the bridge and is walking on to prepare the last lift bridge today

The countryside hereabouts changes frequently, sometimes it's drab scrubland and then beautiful green pasture

We slow down as the convoy slips past the bridge ...

... and admire the view in the sunshine ...

... very nice!

Geoff is telling us to moor up before the next bridge on the visitor rings - that it for Wednesday's cruising then; it's 20 to 1 and lunch time on Seyella, home made veggie soup with a cake for afters ... yum, yum!

An epic journey ...

2012-01-24T12:20:00.000Z

Well all of a mile ... plus one lift bridge!

After reversing to refill out water tank we set off just a short distance to moor up once again just past the Whitchurch arm where the rest of our convoy had already tied up.

Ann and Chas and George and I with Molly went off into Whitchurch for some retail therapy! It's quite a trek into town - about a mile - a long way with a rucksack full of provisions on the way back!

The Whitchurch Arm is closed to visitors for some reason ...

... and this is the current terminus of the arm.

The original line must have gone through this bridge hole ...

... but probably not through this one ... the line of pilings is all wrong from bridge to bridge!

From the information board ... the current situation ...

... the proposed situation ...

... and the history of the canal.

About Whitchurch

A sign of spring ... the first growing daffodils I've actually seen growing ... on the edge of the children's play area in Jubilee Park

The rear of the Bulls Head public house which predates 1827 ...

... and the front of the hostelry - for more information on historic Whitchurch click here.

After a quick look round and a visit to Tesco (where else?) we headed back - it's nearly time for dog walking!

And I've been told I'm a bit excessive with my cleaning, but come on Geoff .. sweeping the towpath???

Just after 4pm and a rain storm .. a rainbow as we set off for just a short walk today down the towpath ...

... where we spy these four meercats bobbing about in the breeze on nb Onslow - they really did make us smile!

Danson's Wood

2012-01-22T18:18:00.000Z

Today's walk after a lovely Sunday lunch at Chez Ann and Chas, good food and good company!

Woodland Trust

Meggy having a paddle

Entering the woods from the canal near the Whitchurch Arm

Purple Catkins - Hazel?

and yellow Catkins - Pussy Willow?

Another grand day!

Walking and wandering ...

2012-01-21T11:42:00.001Z

Our walk yesterday afternoon took us along the Whitchurch arm of the Llangollen Canal but more of that in another posting ...

Once again a wonderful sunset ...

... as it turned the wind-rippled clouds red ...

... the happy wanderers return home along the not so very yellow brick road!

The wind this morning is blowing from directly behind us causing large ripples and mini-whirlwinds on the water; we shall stay put today!

I love to wander .... through the blogs that I follow .... to see where it takes me ...

One of these is Poles Apart

it's not a boaty blog but I like to dip in and out of it as the mood takes me. Iain is a Scotsman who has lived in Sweden, Southern France and currently in Andalucia and I came to know his blog when he commented on one of mine way back.

Anyway, I was wandering through the blogs that he followed and came up with this one

Boxes and Bellows

The blog is written from the Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland; I wandered into this posting and this video of a very haunting melody called The Sleeping Tune. I don't usually enjoy the pipes but this tune has been going round in my head since I first heard it.

Try it out ...

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A challenging day ...

2012-01-20T15:05:00.001Z

We (Rock n Roll, Seyella, and Moore 2 Life) had decided that it would be cruising day today - the initial plan was to stop below Grindley Brook Locks and then on to Whitchurch for the weekend on Friday. After checking the weather forecast for the next few days George (hubby) and I decided that it was now or never as the wind and rain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday was definitely not conducive to narrow boating! Seyella and Moore2Life were not so sure ... we shall see!

Setting off into wonderful Wales at 10:30 ...

... the rain had cleared, the sky was beautiful, the wind wasn't as bad as forecast, but is was oh so cold!

First of the day - Marbury Lock, the bridge's supporting walls are wider than the lock walls making entering past the usual fierce by-wash so much easier ...

... the lock cottage here is obviously in private hands, is in excellent condition and has been extensively extended .. a nice place to live .. if it weren't for the fact that boat crews have to pass the front windows!

Repairs in evidence of a previous leak perhaps

I never tire of watching the countryside go by

As if the by-wash from the locks wasn't enough there was also the ubiquitous BW orange netting to contend with at Quoisley Lock

The Willeymoor Pub from the lock of the same name ...

... and Moore 2 Life catching us up!

A sharp bend under the railway bridge brings me under Grindley Brook Bridge and into lock 6 of the Grindley Brook flight ...

... the wash from lock 5 above enters what is a rather small pound (water between two locks) and has created a whirlpool to navigate in the middle ...

... lock 5 is located close to the towpath side round a rather tight bend ... as I say in my title - challenging ... to say the least!...

... and the by-wash is no better coming from lock 4 either!

Looking back there's Ann closing the gate of lock 3 after Moore 2 Life is safely in

I've negotiated the sharp bends, awkwardly placed bridges and those pesky by-washes and have safely reached the first of the Grindley Brook staircase locks (3 locks together where the lock gates open directly into the next one).

George has the camera (obviously!) and here's me all wrapped up against the cold squinting into the brilliant sunshine!

I'm in the bottom lock and George has gone up to the next set of gates to open the sluices to let water down from the top to fill the middle lock (the water from the middle lock has been used to raise me in the lower lock)

I'm now in the middle lock looking up to the top ...

... and looking down to where Ann is emptying the bottom lock of the staircase for ...

Moore 2 Life - so, they have also decided to get to the top today!

Up at the top and what a lovely sight; this was once the lock cottage but has been transformed ... very nice.
Whilst filling our water tank above the locks we were soon joined by Moore 2 Life and tail-end Charlie who I'd not seen since we left Thomason's Bridge this morning!
Today's cruise has been great; 3.5 hours, 5 and a bit miles, 10 locks, hard work, lovely scenery and challenging locks, bridges and by-washes too, but hey, that's what it's all about!

Wrenbury, Llangollen Canal

2012-01-20T10:43:00.000Z

We (the convoy) had decided that we would move today (18th Jan). As we walked back from the village of Wrenbury we arranged with the engineers for the bridge to be lifted at 2:30 this afternoon.

I'd forgotten my camera this morning so before it was time to up-sticks I took another trip into Wrenbury.. a pretty dove cote over the roof tops ...

... and the unusual tower of ...

... St Margaret's Church ...

... spring blossom in the churchyard ...

... and original box pews ...

... and lovely stained glass inside

Looking back to the organ from the alter

The regular church goers leave their knee blankets on the pews

a lovely stained glass window at the rear of the church ...

... and the first snowdrops I've seen this year between the gravestones ...

... I wonder if these Palin's are relatives of ours?

Lots of stylish old properties ...

... around the village green - 1859 ...

... and even earlier ... 1630

We were just about to have a cuppa before upping sticks and moving on when there was a knock on the window - one of the engineers asked if we would mind cruising through the lift bridge see yesterday's post before 2:30 so that was it - off we went - under the bridge round the corner and continued for about a mile before tying up once more at the Thomason's Bridge visitor moorings

20 past 4 at our moorings - another cold night to come me thinks!

Walks, sunsets, dawn and cruising

2012-01-19T17:58:00.002Z

From our mooring below Baddiley Locks Ann and Molly, Geoff and Megs, George and I with our Molly went for a walk.

This very well endowed chappy gave us the evil eye as we passed!

Ann has a new navigation gadget and George helps her to decide where we are, where we've been and ... perhaps where we're going!

The satnav says .. this way .. but that white bull on the left was busy doing what bulls do so we went on the other side of the hedge instead ... unbeknown to us there was a gap and in said hedge and as we approached one of the cows came to greet us! We beat a hasty retreat and tried a different path!

That's Geoff with some boaters gold - the end over his shoulder took some dodging as we walked behind him!!

4:45 back at Rock n Roll as the sun starts to set ...

... and the red sky continues in the morning at ...

... at 8 am.

Nearly 10:30 and Geoff is also ready to rock'n'roll ...

... this way ...

... it's still below freezing ...

... and Baddiley Bottom Lock was ice-bound when I arrived - see the ice-shelf left on the inside of the lock as the water was let down ...

... and gathered behind my propeller.

As with the majority of locks on the Shropshire Union Canals the bywashes can be fierce ...

Baddiley Lock 2 has a thin layer of ice too ...

... and I push it ahead of me as I leave the lock

My normal cruising is between 850-1000 revs (revolutions of the propeller) but the Llangollen Canal has a strong flow (from the River Dee) - coming through bridge 14 here was difficult, I was doing 1200 revs and getting nowhere!

At Baddiley top lock I picked up the branch on my bow (the pointy bit at the front) and Geoff (Seyella) picked up the ball floating on the ice top left as he came through!

Not much room to spare as I enter the lock ...

... breaking the ice once again ...

... and the wash from here tumbles and rolls back into the canal.

On the off-line of the canal - a swan boat, a wendy house, loads of garden ducks and lanterns and chickens ...

... behind Big Jim's boat ... enlarge by clicking to see the BW licence!

Approaching our destination for today ... Wrenbury Church in the distance ...

... and a spot of colour over in the field ...

... by Wrenbury Lift Bridge.

All three boats are now mooring just before Alvechurch Boat Centre.

And guess what ... it's half past three and time for today's wander ...

We'd just been informed by a passer-by that Wrenbury lift bridge was closed but the notice advised us that should boats wish to pass through it could be lifted - thank goodness for that!

We continued down the towpath past Wrenbury Frith lift bridge ...

... and cross the canal at Thomason's Bridge ... where the views on both sides are ...

... quite spectacular.

That's Chaz this time with the satnav - do we follow the path on this side of the stile or that side?

What a sunset at 10 past 4

crocuses - an early sign of spring perhaps?

... sooooo beautiful!

A new adventure ...

2012-01-16T15:19:00.000Z

A late start this morning as we set off from our mooring at Nantwich, still cold but with the warm sun on our backs ...

... as we pass this creature on our way past Nantwich Basin.

There was a fishing match going on just beyond, most of the anglers were pleasant, some not so, perhaps because of the number of boats moving this morning!

The canal becomes much wider at Henhull

We've passed the meer cat several times by road but this is the first time we've seen it from the canal

A very tidy scrap-yard!

A very tight left hand turn is needed to get into the extremely narrow lock 4 of the Hurleston Flight onto the Llangollen Canal.

This is the new adventure for us on Rock n Roll, we've not been this way before and are thoroughly looking forward to the journey.

Looking up the flight of 4 locks ...

... and down to the junction ...

A boat has had to break the ice before we arrived in the bottom pound (water between two locks)

Looking down from lock 2 ...

... where Geoff is setting the locks for Seyella then walking back to empty the last one for Ann on

Moore 2 Life, who in turn is emptying for NB Jandia who has caught up with the convoy.

Looking back through the bridges ...

... and passing another blogger NB Armadillo

Cooo ... a hot tub ....

... could do with being a bit warmer though before it can tempt me!

Banks Farm just past Platt's Bridge .. a lovely scene

There's Ann and Chaz taking on fuel at ...

Swanley Bridge Marina ...

... and Mags approaching Swanley Lock

... two more beautiful, peaceful ...

... pastoral scenes.

We've moored up just before Greenfield Bridge (13) in a lovely spot and went out for a short walk with the dogs to the first of the Baddiley Locks ...

... where the sun is just setting at 5 past 5 ...

... and we're all feeling a bit tired after a busy day ...

but happy in our life!

Minus 5 at Nantwich as I write ...

2012-01-14T08:47:00.002Z

.... outside at 08:15 ... and it's flippin cold!

2012-01-13T17:29:00.000Z

After a very cold night we left our mooring at Coole Pilate in brilliant, warm sunshine and reversed the .75 mile to OverWater Marina to empty/fill the tanks

We'd been there about 15 minutes and the mist came down!

We wondered if we should go back to the mooring until tomorrow ...

... as we cruised past the Canada Geese on the off-side bank...

... when very soon after the sun started to burn the mist ...

... and the sky became a bit lighter ...

... as we approached Hack Green Locks ...

... where the bridge is undergoing extensive repairs.

The sky continues to clear as I look forward from Hack Green Lock 2

Blue!

Swans in the sunshine!

Approaching Nantwich Aqueduct ...

... and there's Moore2Life moored just around the corner

Looking over the aqueduct into Nantwich.

We've moored on the visitor moorings and walked into town and back; the temperature now is 0.5 so it's going to be another cold night outside of our cosy home!

A wow of a sunset!

2012-01-12T17:59:00.001Z

Taken at 20 to 6 this evening ...

... through the galley window.

Too Cool ....

2012-01-11T17:16:00.000Z

Tuesday ... back to normal - caught up on the washing before moving to the water point to refill the tank then dropping down the remaining Audlem locks to rejoin the convoy ...

... a gathering of Canada Geese as we pull out of OverWater Marina after refilling the fuel tanks ...

... a beautifully warm day; the breeze felt like silk ...

... and the water was like velvet.

Ann at Coole Pilate visitor moorings ... so the convoy is again reunited!

Yesterday evening 20 past 5 ...

... and this morning ...

... at half past 9 - glorious!

George has spent the day cleaning the roof and the towpath side of RnR and I've had a very relaxing day catching up with this blog and my favourite other blogs. We've just returned from a walk along the soggy, squelchy towpath and are now sitting with a welcome glass of wine - what could be better?